Child Under the Apple Tree
by Myuufasa
Summary: Pokemon identify the first thing they see as their mother, but what if that thing happens to be an apple tree?


It is common knowledge that the first thing a newborn pokemon sees it identifies as its mother. Due to this instinctive behavior, newborn pokemon commonly identify trainers as their mothers, and sometimes other pokemon. Sometimes, fate plays a strange game on these creatures involving this behavior. This is one such tale.

The forest. A deep, dark yet cheerful home far away from human contact. Only rarely do trainers wander into these woods, and because of this, the pokemon of this forest walk free, unafraid of potential capture. It is spring in this untouched paradise, a time full of joy, for all eggs laid in fall will now shake and split in two, welcoming a new pokemon into this perfect world. This time is not just a bed of sweet roses however. When the eggs hatch, fearsome Ekans, Arbok and the like will be on the hunt for belated hatchers. Many unattended eggs also fall prey to these savage predators.

In a small hollow tree, one such nest lays. A nest full of Togepi eggs. Surely, their mother would return soon from gathering fruit and berries for her soon-to-arrive brood, but during her absence, the egg-eating Ekans will make short work of her eggs. It slowly slithers through the underbrush making a b-line for the nest that might as well be abandoned at this point. It reaches the tree, and slithers into the opening which holds the eggs. Before the Ekans can begin its feast, one of the eggs suddenly twitches, startling the snake pokemon. Small, cream-colored feet emerge from the shell, and starts to run off. As soon as the hatching Togepi was out of sight, mother Togekiss returns and notices the purple snake huddled around her brood. She furiously attacks the predator with a powerful Air Slash, sending the snake running for its life. Sadly, the missing egg goes unnoticed.

The hatching Togepi runs down the forest path until there is no sign of Ekans, her mother, or the nest full of her brothers and sisters. She comes to a grinding halt when her shell smashes against a simple apple tree, a few pieces of fruit hanging from its many branches. The shell splits open, and the young pokemon is officially born. She stares at the behemoth trunk before her and utters her first word "…Mama!" The young Togepi identifies the beautiful fruit tree as her mother, a dirty, underhanded trick nature plays on occasion.

Togepi looks up the tall trunk of the tree at the many winding branches. "I'm hungry, Mama." the young one calls up to the leaves. As if on queue, an mighty gale slashes through the forest canopy and knocks an apple loose. It hit's the ground hard, splitting into six perfect pieces. Togepi stumbles over to the sliced fruit and happily picks up a slice and nibbles on it. "Yummy! Thanks, Mama!"

The sun sets, the ground turns cold, and the winds send a chill down Togepi's spine. "Mama," she calls up to her mother, "I'm cold." It was then a Skarmory, not used to flying at night, smashes right into Togepi's tree. The shockwave sends many leaves down, covering the shivering pokemon. "Nice and toasty. Goodnight Mama."

Days pass. Togepi's daily routine has already been established in these precious first days. At dawn, Togepi goes to explore the area around her mother, making sure not to venture too far. Then she returns for a conversation with her mother tree. Although it doesn't answer back, Togepi doesn't seem to mind. After a long conversation, she eats her daily apple and stares at the other pokemon of the forest as they pass by. Some have baby pokemon with them , but they never seem to talk to her. The sun sets, and the young one goes to sleep, only to start the routine the next day. One day, Togepi's conversation is starkly different from previous ones.

"Mama," the Togepi says, "Who are the other pokemon in the forest? They never seem to notice me. Are they friendly? Mean? Is it because you protect me so well? I just wish I knew who they were."

Suddenly, Togepi hears a soft rumbling underneath her feet, and a muffled voice. It seemed to be calling her name. She digs in the spot only to unearth a strange red device. A Pokedex.

"What is this Mama?"

A flash of light comes out of the device. **"Togepi: The Spike Ball Pokemon. It transforms the kindness and joy of others into happiness, which it stores in its shell. Evolves into Togetic when maximum happiness is achieved. "**

"Mama! It's a talking story book! Thank you Mama, let's read it together!"

Togepi flips through the entries of all the pokemon the Pokedex had data on until she stopsat the that was particularly special.

"**Togekiss: The Jubilee Pokemon. It shares many blessings with people who respect one another's rights and avoid needless strife. Evolves from Togetic with the use of a Shiny Stone."**

"That's you Mama. I love you."

Togepi hugs her mother tree. A tiny branch snaps off the tree and gently tumbles down to Togepi, holding her in a mock embrace. She continues to flip through the Pokedex entries until the pauses at one that really catches her eye.

"**Celebi: The Time Travel Pokemon. It has the power to travel across time, but it is said to appear only in peaceful times. " **

"Celebi… They only travel to peaceful times. This is peaceful, right Mama? I wonder if I'll meet one someday."

As the full moon rises at her back, Togepi drifts off into a deep sleep, dreaming of this time traveling pokemon.

Spring and summer slip by without a moment's notice. The air becomes chillier, the days grow shorter, small pokemon prepare for a winter of hibernation, and the trees change color, much to young Togepi's surprise.

"…Mama," Togepi asks, "are you okay? You're looking red. Do you have a cold?"

Over time, leaves slowly start to slip off the mighty apple tree, along with all its apples. Togepi notices all of the big red fruits on the ground under her mother.

"You didn't have to get this much food for me Mama. Yes I'm a growing pokemon, but I can't possibly eat this much. You just rest Mama. I'll take care of you."

Winter creeps up on the forest, and soon pokemon go into hibernation, nights become bitter cold, and every tree has shed their leaves.

"Mama, I'm hungry," Togepi pleads, but this time, nothing falls. "Mama, you seem really sick still. When will you get better? Wait a minute, the storybook will know what to do!"

Togepi grabs the Pokedex and flips franticly though the entries for any pokemon that could cure her mother. "No, Audino and Alomomola don't live around here. Celebi! Celebi will help Mama, but where can I find one? I better ask around."

Togepi asks all the forest pokemon she can find where Celebi is. Most simply said no, but others didn't even know who Celebi was. Her small journey for Celebi leads her to the wisest pokemon in the forest: Torterra. It's said that Torterra is older than the forest itself, and he carried its first saplings on his back. He is a behemoth of a pokemon and known for his generally grouchy nature. Togepi draws closer to his home, a giant cave on the easternmost edge of the forest. She knew nothing of his attitude, or that he hibernates during the winter. She enters the cave, seeing the monolithic turtle with her own eyes. He was asleep, of course, but that didn't stop Togepi from waking him up and asking where Celebi is. Although she knows it could end in disaster, Togepi uses Metronome to stir Torterra. Wake-up Slap, that will surely wake him up. After many rhythmic slaps across his titanic face, Torterra wakes.

"…Who comes to disturb my rest?"

"Torterra, you are the wisest pokemon in the forest, right?" Togepi questions.

"Grr, of course I am! I carried this forest on my back. Now if you excuse me, small one, I must return to my rest."

"But Torterra. I need you to tell me where Celebi is. Surely you know where she is."

Torterra emits a low growl. " Yes I have met Celebi, but why must you know? Do you think the time traveling pokemon of legend would care one bit about your problems? "

"M…my Mama is sick. She lost all her feathers and can't feed me anymore. Celebi must be able to help somehow."

"Ugh, fine. Deeper in this cave lies an alter of stone. State your business and _maybe _Celebi will arrive. Don't come crying to me when she doesn't."

Torterra moves its gargantuan form over to allow Togepi passage to the alter. It's an ancient structure, as old as Torterra even or maybe even older. It's covered in moss and mushrooms, and there's cracks everywhere.

"Ce-Celebi. My Mama is sick. All her feathers are gone and she's too weak to feed me. Please make her well again."

The alter gives off a green glow, faint at first, but then turns too strong for Togepi's eyes to handle. She covers her eyes with her stubby hands. The glow becomes fierce. The moss and mushrooms are burned off due to its might. Then the glow dies down, and Togepi uncovers her eyes. Celebi floats before her.

"Dear child, I heard your desperate pleas for your poor mother. We must make haste, child, lead me to your mother."

There is no time to waste. Togepi runs as fast as her feet will allow to her mother tree. A path of slippery roads with wind that stung like many an Ice Shard didn't hold her back. It couldn't hold her back. She finally makes it to her mother tree to find her in much worse shape than when she left. Her bark was sliced off by the harsh winds, her limbs had been broken, and her trunk torn through.

"Mama!" Togepi yelled with a notable shakiness. "Don't worry, Mama. Celebi will make you okay, right Celebi? Please fix my Mama."

"Why child, this is a tree. Where is your mother?"

"Th-this is my Mama. She's a Togekiss. Can't you see that? Now please help her! She's feeling really bad."

"Oh, I see what has happened. Poor thing. Now I know this is going to be hard to listen to, but that tree isn't your mother. This is a simple tree. Its trunk and branches provide homes for many pokemon, and its fruit nourishes young pokemon like you."

"But…Mama has taken care of me for so long. She helped me hatch, she fed me when I was hungry, she covered me when I was cold, she hugged me when I was scared. Bring my Mama back!"

Celebi shook her head. "No, child, but what I will do is find your real mother. I think I've met her before actually, mourning over the death of one of her eggs at the mouth of an Ekans."

Celebi begins to guide the young pokemon away from the tree, her mother, the one who has taken care of her all her life, to a new beginning with her true mother. In a familiar hollow tree, a nest lay. A nest full of sleeping Togepi with their mother Togekiss shielding them from the chilling night air. Celebi flies over to the sleeping mother, and gently nudges her awake.

"Mother Togekiss, Mother Togekiss wake up."

The jubilee pokemon opens her eyes. "Ce-Celebi? What are you doing here at this hour?"

"Remember when you came to my shrine in spring, how you begged for the daughter you thought you had lost?"

"Yes I do. Di-did you find my baby?"

Celebi shifts positions, revealing the young Togepi behind her. "This is your missing daughter. She came begging to me to heal a tree she thought was her mother."

"Oh my baby! That Ekans didn't take you." Togekiss flutters over to her lost child, taking her into her wings. "You'll be safe forever now. Mama will always be here."

Togepi starts to shake with pure sadness, a single tear escaping from her eye. "But…but you're not my mother. My mother is a big Togekiss. She got sick so I asked Celebi for help. My mama needs me; I'm the only one that can help her now!"

Togepi breaks Togekiss's grip on her and races in the direction of her mother tree. The wind picks up and snow begins to fall, blocking Togepi's view. A snowstorm is brewing. The winds become so strong they can easily pick up a three-pound Togepi. The storm carries her down the path at blinding speed, and she comes to a sudden stop in front of her sickly mother. In its weakened state, the tree could not take the blazing storm or the spike ball pokemon's impact. The tree's roots snap, and it comes crashing down in front of its adopted daughter.

The shocked Togepi walks up to the tree and stats to push. " Mama get up. I have to make you better, Mama, I love you, but please get up!" Her efforts prove fruitless. "…Mama? You can't leave me Mama; I need you. Who will feed me and keep me warm at night? Who will hug me when I'm scared. Mama, don't leave."

Togepi's eyes swell up with tears. Tears of sorrow, guilt, and regret for her mother. Celebi and Togekiss catch up with Togepi and see her weeping in front of her fallen mother. They remain silent and wait for her to make the next move. Finally, she turns around, streams of tears cascading from her face, and whimpers "Mama is …gone."


End file.
